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A white Khao Manee with one blue eye and one golden eye sits on an old ivy-covered brick wall in the evening sun

Khao Manee

An old, all-white cat from Thailand, with eyes like gemstones: blue, gold, green or one of each.

The Khao Manee is an old cat breed from Thailand. Its name means 'white gem'. It is always white all over, and its eyes are blue, gold or green. Sometimes it has one blue eye and one gold eye. For centuries it stayed in Thailand; only in 1999 did the first one reach America. It is clever, curious and loves to talk with its people.

Origin
Thailand
Weight
3.6–5 kg male2.7–3.6 kg female
Size
Medium
Lifespan
10–15 years

Character

  • Clever and curious
  • Wants to be with its people
  • Loves a game of fetch
  • Chatty, but not loud

  • Affectionate

    Bonds strongly with its people and wants to be part of everything.

  • Lap cat

    Often settles on a lap, or even on your shoulder, when you are close by.

  • Playful

    Playful, and often brings toys back to you.

  • Energetic

    Active and curious. It is happiest when it has something to do.

  • Talkative

    Likes to talk with its people, but is not known as a loud cat.

  • Learns tricks

    Very clever and keen to learn, especially when you make it a game.

  • With strangers

    Usually greets visitors, though some are shy at first.

  • With children

    Gets on well with children who are calm and gentle with it.

  • With dogs

    Can live with a calm dog, but not with one that chases it.

  • With other cats

    Often enjoys other cats. Do let a new cat settle in slowly, and give each its own bed.

  • Home alone

    Does not like being alone for long. It suits a home where someone is often around.

  • Indoor cat

    A fine indoor cat if it gets play and attention. Its white coat burns easily in strong sun.

Photos

Story or true?

  • A Khao Manee is just a white Siamese.

    No. It is a breed of its own from Thailand, with its own family lines. Its white comes from a gene that covers up the real colour; it is not an albino.

  • Every white cat with blue or odd eyes is a Khao Manee.

    No. Every Khao Manee is white, but most white cats are not Khao Manees. You see eyes like these in other breeds too.

  • All white cats are deaf.

    No. White cats, especially blue-eyed ones, are more often deaf, but many hear perfectly well. You cannot tell from the eye colour: only a hearing test is sure.

History

In Thailand the old, natural cat breeds are together called Maew Boran. The Khao Manee is one of them. It came about without people crossing breeds. Its white coat comes from a strong gene: one copy is enough to make a cat white, and the real colour stays hidden underneath.

  1. 1351-1767

    A white cat, then called Khao Plort, is praised in the Tamra Maew, old Thai poems about cats. Exactly how old they are is not certain.

  2. 1824-1851

    Under King Nangklao, white cats turn up more often in writing and in paintings on temple walls.

  3. 1999

    Colleen Freymuth brings the first Khao Manee from Thailand to the United States.

  4. 2004

    Frederic Lachaud-Goedert starts a second breeding programme in France, with cats from Thailand.

  5. 2012

    America's TICA gives the Khao Manee preliminary recognition as a new breed.

  6. 2015

    TICA gives the Khao Manee championship status on 1 May.

  7. 2018

    America's CFA accepts the breed for registration. It may be shown, but cannot yet compete for a championship.

  8. 2019

    The worldwide federation WCF publishes its standard for the Khao Manee.

Looks

A medium-sized, athletic cat, a little longer than tall, with a glossy white coat and bright eyes that sparkle like gemstones.

Head
A softened wedge, oval seen from the front, with high cheekbones and a rounded muzzle.
Ears
Fairly large and wide at the base, with oval tips. They sit well apart, like clock hands at eleven and one.
Eyes
Almond-shaped and slightly slanted, clear as gemstones. Blue, gold or green, or one of each.
Body
Medium-sized and muscular, lithe and springy, never bulky or cobby. Slightly longer back legs and oval paws.
Tail
Medium length, tapering to the tip. A small kink near the end is allowed.
Coat
Short, fine and smooth, pure glistening white. Nose, lips and paw pads are pink.
At shows
The WCF wants a coat without undercoat, while the CFA allows some; kittens may have a coloured spot on the head up to 18 months. Europe's FIFe does not recognise the breed, and Britain's GCCF only granted the breed name and lets it be shown.

Varieties

  • Odd-eyed Khao Manee

    One blue eye and one gold or green eye, or even two colours in one eye. Not a separate breed, just an eye type. It is the rarest and the most loved.

    Recognition: Allowed in every standard.

Colours

The codes in brackets

Cat registries write colours as an EMS code. The letter is the colour (n black, a blue, d red, f tortie), s means silver or smoke, y golden, and the numbers tell you about white (01–09), shading (11, 12), the tabby pattern (22–25) or colourpoint (33).

  • White with blue eyes(w 61)
  • White with gold eyes(w 62)
  • White, odd-eyed(w 63)
All colours and patterns (4)

White

  • White with blue eyes (w 61)
  • White with gold eyes (w 62)
  • White, odd-eyed (w 63)
  • White with green eyes (w 64)

The CFA and the WCF also name green eyes; the older American ACFA standard suggests the breed first had blue eyes only.

Any other colour

  • Black (n)
  • Blue (a)
  • Red (d)
  • Black mackerel tabby (n 23)
  • Black and white (n 03)
  • Seal point (n 33)

A Khao Manee is always white all over. Because the white gene hides the real colour, a coloured kitten is sometimes born. It may be used for breeding, but at shows it is not a Khao Manee.

Did you know?

  • White gem

    Khao Manee is Thai for 'white gem'. In Thailand it was loved for its jewel-like eyes.

  • Khao Plort

    In the old Thai cat poems it is called Khao Plort: 'completely white'.

  • Two colours

    Some Khao Manee have one blue eye and one gold eye, and a few even have two colours in one eye.

  • Genie mark

    Some kittens have a small dark spot on their head. It usually fades before they are a year old.

  • 1999

    For centuries the breed stayed in Thailand. Only in 1999 did the first Khao Manee travel to America.

Health

How long10–15years

No study has measured it. Most sources say 10 to 12 years, some up to 15. The breed is rare, so take it as a rough guide.

Deafness from birth

The gene that makes the coat white can also affect the inner ear. A kitten then becomes deaf in one or both ears in its first weeks, and it stays that way. Nobody has counted it in the Khao Manee itself. In other white pedigree cats about 1 in 6 to 1 in 3 were deaf; with two blue eyes the chance is highest, about half in a British study. Deafness does not hurt. A cat deaf in one ear barely notices, and deaf cats live a good life indoors or in a secure cat garden.

How it is found: A hearing test (BAER) at the vet, from about 3 weeks old. A DNA test shows whether a cat has one or two copies of the white gene, but does not test hearing.

Sunburn on ears and nose

Under the white coat the skin of the ears and nose is pink. In strong sun it can redden and peel, and burning often is bad for the skin.

How it is found: No test needed. Keep it out of the strong midday sun and ask the vet about sunscreen for cats.

Ask the breeder for

  • The hearing test (BAER) result of the kitten and of both parents
  • The DNA result for the white gene: one or two copies
  • Whether both parents are white, or whether a non-white parent is in the line
  • Do not rely on eye colour or a home test: ask for a proper hearing test

Care

  • Grooming

    Little work: brush it once or twice a week with a rubber brush. It sheds moderately, and white hairs show up well on clothes and the sofa. Brush its teeth a few times a week.

  • Exercise

    Play together, climb and solve puzzles every day, for example with toys that make it think. If it gets bored, it scratches the furniture.

  • Food

    Just good cat food with plenty of meat. It eats wet and dry, but often prefers wet. No special food is needed.

  • Allergies

    A Khao Manee is not hypoallergenic: like every cat it makes the allergen that makes people sneeze. If you are allergic, spend some time with one first.

  • Sun and safety

    Its pink ears burn easily, so keep it out of strong sun. A deaf cat cannot hear cars or dogs: keep it indoors or in a secure cat garden.

Allowed where you live?

Checked on 23 October 2026

  • NetherlandsAllowed
  • BelgiumAllowed
  • LuxembourgAllowed

Recognised by registries

  • WCFWorldwide, mostly GermanyStandard from 2019Recognised
  • TICAWorldwide, mostly AmericaPreliminary recognition since 20122015
  • CFAAmericaProvisional: shown, but not yet for a championship2018

Breed clubs

  • Are you a Khao Manee club?

    Let's swap links. We list your club here, with logo, a short text and a link. You link to this page. No costs, no contract.

    Email us[email protected]

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